


On the Pillars of Youth

by HumanDisqualification



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: No Mercy Route, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-04
Updated: 2015-12-04
Packaged: 2018-05-04 21:30:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5349179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HumanDisqualification/pseuds/HumanDisqualification
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They step closer still, and you can feel your bones rattling.</p>
            </blockquote>





	On the Pillars of Youth

It's on the pillars of youth you stand, poised to finally meet the human blow-to-blow, ready to capture them at long last—ready to put them through each of your impeccably designed puzzles and monologues as you prepare for your well-deserved future fame—!

—but, right at the climax of such a thrilling moment, they walk straight through them.

They walk through each of your puzzles without a second thought, before you can so much as finish explaining them—you can’t help but feel a little disappointed. After all, your puzzles are great, ingenious, _masterpieces_ created by the one-and-only future Royal Guardsman—! And all the effort you’ve put in is being ignored completely. That’s not what they’re _supposed_ to do! They’re supposed to play along—shake in their boots as you, Papyrus, deliver awe-inspiring monologues! They’re supposed to be dumbfounded by your puzzles, stupefied by your traps, confounded by your pure, unbridled excellence…!

Ever the optimist, however, you refuse to be disheartened—even as you deactivate the gauntlet of deadly terror. You’ll just have to bring Undyne here, instead!

Yeah!

The dust on their knuckles looks almost _natural_ on them, though, and even you find it unnerving—they’re _weird_ , strange. You get an uneasy feeling pooling in the pit of your soul each and every time you speak to them, only to be greeted with a silence that seems to stretch from hundreds of years ago.

It must just be your imagination, you decide, and you leave them with your brother.

 

* * *

 

Snowdin is empty.

The town stands rickety on its frames, shaking with the hearts of its residents as they hide behind closed doors and beneath the furniture; your footsteps, muffled by the ever-present snow, are brisk and urgent as you hurry towards the far east side.

Not long after, the human reaches the town—they lumber through unopposed. You alone wait for them; standing sentry before the bridge to Waterfall, you have already prepared a monologue for their arrival.

You’ve practised it too, over and over with the few minutes you have to spare before they arrive. And soon enough, they do. You block their way and they look at you like you’re a challenge.

_ Well, they’re hardly wrong about that! _

Still, you have no intention of fighting. You know for a fact that they walk through your puzzles and speeches alike as if it has nothing to do with them, but if you just reach out  to them…! You can't imagine what they've been through, to have strayed onto such a path. For their eyes to look like all they see are numbers, like they’ve already heard everything you’re saying before.

(And you _still_ can’t shake the feeling that the two of you have met before, like someone out there is pranking you. You’ve never even  _seen_ a human before this one, have you?)

But, that’s not important. You _know_ that everyone can be great if they try—you wonder if anyone ever told them that.

They step closer still, and you can feel your bones rattling, a hollow clunking as your ribs shake, as your vertebrae bristle against the fabric of your battle body. You steel yourself without meaning to, and for a moment you feel bad for it—what they need right now is a _friend_ , is for you to open your arms wide and accept them. Your bones are brittle. You force your nerves aside and keep face as they step forward once more.

You know that there’s more to the world than what they see. Even _you_ haven’t seen everything yet! There’s still the horoscope to solve, puzzles to perfect, the surface to see! If only they could be witness to all the wonders of the world, you have absolute confidence that they could be just—well, _nearly_ —as wonderful as you.

Hey, maybe you could take them to meet Undyne later! Another brilliant idea from the great Papyrus! The snowflakes around you settle as they always do, and the creeping fog cloaking the area forms columns of skulls, bones withered and baring grim smiles. You love this place. You love the atmosphere, the suspense, _it’s the perfect place to capture a human!_

—Ah, but that can wait.

Powerful! Popular! Prestigious! You, Papyrus, in all your greatness, can see it clearly; all they need is a helping hand to guide them onto the right path. And you can’t think of anyone better for the job than yourself.

Another step forward. You do your utmost not to betray the fact that you’re shaking (and you can’t even blame it on the cold; you don’t have the skin to feel it). You are not a number. They are not a number. All they need to do is wipe the dust from their hands, and…!  


They’re within an arm’s reach of you. You can hardly feel your legs, you could fall over at any moment—you’re light headed. They’re _better_ than this. They can be good, _great_ , they can be like _you!_ You keep faith as the conflict begins; you spare them.

You spare them, and you wait.

 

* * *

 

And something in their face changes, a hesitation which grows into regret, overbearing and _overpowering_ and for the first time they shiver in the cold; when the human drops their fists at last, you swear it’s relief that’s painting their face. You can hardly blame them; you’re relieved, too. _Overjoyed_ , in fact. It’s a hug of acceptance they wanted after all, and you’re all too happy to oblige.

 

 


End file.
